Absorbent articles, such as diapers, incontinence garments, training pants, sanitary napkins, panty liners, and the like are well known in the art. These articles, which are often disposable, are capable of absorbing and retaining fluids and other bodily discharges. These absorbent articles typically have an outer cover with a liquid impermeable plastic film, such as polypropylene and/or polyethylene, to prevent liquid discharged by a wearer from leaking from the article.
Some known absorbent articles having liquid impermeable outer covers include a film that is impervious to water vapor as well as liquid. Because the outer cover is impermeable to both liquids and water vapor, the absorbent article often feels hot and clammy to the wearer especially after a bodily discharge. Furthermore, this lack of permeability to both liquid and water vapor may cause irritation to the skin of the wearer. In addition to concerns over skin wellness, the liquid impermeable plastic films often lacked the aesthetic and tactile qualities desired in absorbent articles.
Other known outer covers for absorbent articles are “breathable”. Such outer covers, which are typically laminates of several different types of material, are substantially impervious to liquids but are “breathable” in the sense that water vapor can pass through the outer cover. Breathable outer covers have become increasingly popular and are highly commercialized in absorbent articles.
While often providing a more skin friendly product, breathable liquid-impervious outer covers often suffer from outer cover dampness. That is, many absorbent articles having such an outer cover develop a wet or damp feel on the outer surface of the outer cover after fluid is discharged by the wearer and absorbed by the article. This unpleasant wet feeling is not typically due to permeation of liquid through the liquid-impermeable cover or leakage from the article but rather by the condensation of water vapor on the outer cover as a result of relatively warm vapor passing through the outer cover, cooling, and condensing on the outer cover.
It is often difficult for users (e.g., wearers, caregivers) of absorbent articles to readily determine if the article they are using has a non-breathable or breathable outer cover. That is, the articles having breathable outer covers are often not readily discernible from articles having non-breathable outer covers. As mentioned above, breathable outer covers often provide a skin healthier product from the wearer's perspective as compared to non-breathable outer covers.
Thus, there exists a need for an absorbent article having sufficient water vapor permeation to remain a healthy and comfortable product for the wearer but that inhibits the outer cover from developing a wet or damp feel. Moreover, there exists a need for such an absorbent article configured to heighten the awareness of the outer cover's breathability to the user. There also exists a need for such an absorbent article having such an outer cover that is soft.